The 6 Best Auto-attendant Phone System in 2022

Let’s get started with the basic meaning of the phone automated attendant. It is a feature that enables the users to greet the callers and help them to guide the callers to the pre-configured extensions without the involvement of any human.

Calls can be routed to external numbers with the help of multilevel attendants. We compared the auto attendant phone system based on price, ease of use, and functionality, and after taking a close look at that, we have reviewed these best auto attendant phone systems.

Auto-attendant is a software tool used by small and large businesses to route calls and dial by name. These are often called virtual receptionists or auto receptionists in business.

Such cloud-based customer service systems prevent the customer from hanging the call and for call routing to the desired customer. It also gives customers the benefit of transferring calls and conference calls.

Auto-attendant systems save the money spent on employing an operator to receive calls. The auto-attendant also provides information on business hours and business calls. The customer service calls are never missed because of the multiple-level auto-attendant.

The customer support team is always within reach for the user’s help by the business company. The auto-attendant system allows all the incoming calls to be transferred to the various extensions or voicemails without the involvement of any operator.

How we evaluated automated phone systems

The virtual phone services and the voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) share the common feature of the auto-attendant phone systems.

Auto attendants are highly automated systems that can pick the calls themselves and then guide the callers to the desired extension without any human involvement. So you can see for yourself how the work is reduced in business with the help of these phone systems with the auto attendant on business numbers. Even if the users are not the technology experts, these phones with auto-attendant should be straightforward to set up.

This means all these solutions should also be within the buying range of the businesses with small budgets so that even they can enjoy the perks of the business phone system. There are specific criteria based on which we have evaluated the phone system with auto attendants for the business company. These features were taken into consideration while deciding the best auto attendants.

• Price
• The features
• Ease to use
• Management of calls
• Greetings provider
• Customer support

Following the criteria we mentioned above, we found out that Nextiva is the best small business phone system option to consider.

The features offered by Nextiva are similar to those provided by the other auto attendant phone systems.

However, Nextiva stands out in the light for business companies due to the free professional voice greeting supplied by it in the premium package. It means that it is also considered to be robust and straightforward to use the phone system in the business world.

How to set up an Auto-attendant?

Setting up the auto-attendant small business phone system with auto-attendant varies for each of the service providers. They come with various features like the text to voice options, while other auto attendants might require you to create a script and some audio recording. We have listed tutorial steps to understand how cloud-based business companies set the auto-attendant items.

1. You need to choose the call management method for the business auto attendant. Do you also need to select the call routing destination that where the calls should be routed to?
2. You need to assign a caller id phone number to your auto attendant and add different numbers that the attendant can use.
3. You can create greetings for the callers or customers by the company by typing the greeting for text to speak attendant, or else you can record it.
4. You can record the auto attendant response message from the company to its customers for small businesses or large businesses, recommendations Platform: Mac Win Linux.
5. You can also add different groups for the receptionist cloud-based companies. These help in call forwarding so the receptionist can receive calls before the auto attendant.
6. You need to set the business hours for callers.
7. Adjust the schedule for day and night time.
8. Adjust the schedule for holiday greetings.
9. You also need to determine and set the timeout settings. With this feature’s help, the greeting might get repeated, or the call might get routed from the customers to the receptionist if the caller is unable to respond to the procedure.
10. Kindly save these settings in the auto attendant.

The system comprises setting a call flow through some portal for the customers by the company or by a dial number while using the endpoints on the calling system.

Mostly all these auto attendant systems ask you to add or record a beginning greeting along with the greeting for business hours or holidays. The auto-attendant system might also ask you to add phone numbers for each department of the small businesses or large business callers.

Nextiva: Best overall auto attendant phone system

Nextiva provides its user with an automated attendant greeting, which is pre-recorded by a professional voice-over artist. Nextiva is known to be a small business that offers a VoIP service.

The company offers a free plan for one to four business users. The pricing for the team of Nextiva that will bring them benefit because of the auto-attendant begins from $27.95 per user for every month. This rate is on an annual basis for five to nineteen business users.

The reason why it is known to be an incredible auto attendant phone system: Nextiva is considered to be the best as it offers its users the most professionally recorded voice greeting, and having a professional auto attendant voice can go a long way as it helps in establishing a good reputation in the market business for both the small and large businesses.

Nextiva is also known to offer voice menu building features like all the other competing solutions for the business phone with auto-attendant like the RingCentral and even 8*8. The professional voice feature is pretty impressive for the small businesses that want to establish their image of being one of the promising national enterprises.

Nextiva pricing

• Essential: It offers its users the fantastic option of unlimited calling ( within the USA and Canada) along with a free local or what you may call a toll-free number. The charges for this are $27.95 for each user per month.
• Professional: The offer compromises of conference calling for four people, messaging by the team, peer to peer video calling along with a professional recording of the voice greeting. The charges are $30.95 for each user per month.
• Enterprise: The offer includes voicemail transcription, analytics of voice, and recording of calls. The price for this offer is $37.95 for each user per month.

There are various plan lists available for the users of one to four that begin at a price rate of $32.95 for each user for a month for business companies. For five to nineteen users, the pricing can be done on an annual basis, and there is an availability of a massive volume of discounts that you can get when you add more users. There are monthly plans available for an additional price.

Features for Nextiva

• Nextiva offers you a professionally recorded voice greeting in the professional or the Enterprise packages for business callers. It delivers its users with the services of a professional voice actor to become the influential voice of your business phone system. They can also assist you with your script for the interactive voice response.
• Nextiva can deliver auto-attendant builder settings with the help of which you can set up your business system and have a voice menu in just some time.
• Nextiva is also offering a mobile app for iOS and Android users so that you can carry the work business phone system anywhere with you on your phone, along with call forwarding for business.

Grasshopper: Best Virtual Phone system with Auto-attendant

Grasshopper is known to be a virtual phone system service that requires an existing phone line so that it can forward the calls from it. For one number and three extensions, the pricing begins from $26 for each month.

The reason why Grasshopper is an incredible auto attendant phone system is that the VoIP services are expensive even though they offer a lot of functions. Still, the virtual phone solutions do not cost that much to the users. The pricing plans available at the Grasshopper are pocket-friendly, along with providing an automated attendant to deal with all the incoming calls rush or call forwarding.

These auto attendant systems are perfect for the teams that cannot purchase the full-featured VoIP phone system but still want to enjoy the benefits of the advanced business phone systems.

Grasshopper pricing

• Solo: It charges $26 for a month for the benefits of one phone number and three extensions.
• Partner: It charges $44 per month with three phone numbers along with six extensions.
• Small businesses: It charges $80 for a month of its services for five phone numbers along with the perks of unlimited extensions. The pricing is done based on the annual system. You buy accounts for any additional user available for an extra cost that can be charged based on each invoice.

Grasshopper features

• The Grasshopper has an automated attendant who can greet and guide the incoming calls to their extensions, just like all other small business phone systems with auto attendants.
• Grasshopper can also be used on iOS and Android phones along with all the other desktop applications.
• Grasshopper provides you with a free choice between phone numbers, local, and a toll-free number, which comes with a 1-800 prefix.

RingCentral: Best Auto-attendant for high call volumes

RingCentral is a small business phone system with an auto-attendant that has a VoIP platform that delivers us with multiple levels of auto attendants who can forward the calls to the numbers outside.

It comes with a call center feature to handle all the high call volumes. It is a fantastic auto attendant system. It offers the users premium tiers that provide a call center with an auto-attendant feature, which includes call queuing, live transfer, and automated attendants of multiple levels, which can assist you with handling a vast number of call volumes at once.

If you have a ring central office with a high call volume, then RingCentral will be a perfect choice for you.

RingCentral pricing:

• Essentials: It charges $19.99 for each user for a month for as much as 20 users. The offer includes 100 toll-free minutes with unlimited calling and a total amount of texting.
• Standard: It charges $24.99 for each user for a month with the perks of unlimited call recording, toll-free minutes of up to 2,500, and video conferencing with as much as 100 participants.
• Premium: It charges $34.99 for each user for a month. The offer is inclusive of unlimited call recording, toll-free minutes of up to 2500, analytics, integrations with the auto attendant software.
• Ultimate: It charges $49.99 for each user for a month with the status reports of the device, toll-free minutes of up to 10,000, and unlimited storage.

Pricing is done every year for two or nineteen users. Discounts are available at a considerable volume and for a plan that is available for additional costs. There are many plans available for individual users, which begin at $29.99 each month.

RingCentral features

• There are expensive calling system that comes with call queuing, live transfer and many other features like the dial by name directory, which are explicitly designed to help the businesses to be able to manage the incoming call numbers.
• Ringcentral offers packages that include the Interactive voice response to set the menus that respond to the voice commands from the phone calls.
• The company offers local and toll-free phone numbers to its customers.

Vonage: Best auto-attendant service with a la carte plans

Vonage is a VoIP phone service that is unique in terms of customer service, which allows them to insert individual features based on a la carte. The pricing begins at $17.99 per user for a month for at least 5 to nineteen users.

The auto attendants systems are incredible. In most cases, the VoIP customer service bundle comprises a range of different packages at various prices that do not give the choice of selection to the customers to choose and add features of their choice.

Vonage also gives you the chance to purchase call recording and numbers, which are toll-free. This feature will be the best for small businesses who want affordable auto-receptionist.

Vonage pricing

• Mobile: The features in this pack include unlimited calling, mobile applications, and messaging by the team. The price for this package is $17.99 per user for a month.
• Premium: The features in this package includes video conferencing to as many as 100 people, integrated software, and automated attendants of multiple levels.
• Advanced: The features include fifteen business hours of call recording, visual voicemail, and the setup, which is directed by the company itself.

This pricing plan is for users from 5 to 19. Discounts for huge volumes can be added when you increase the number of users. Plans for one to four users are also available, beginning from $19.99 per user for a month.

Vonage Features

• Automated attendants are there in every version of the service provider. Like the RingCentral, the advanced and premium versions of the auto-attendant system come with multiple attendants’ levels.
• The expensive versions of the Vonage virtual receptionist come with HD video conferencing to as many as 100 people.
• You can include your features, which may comprise toll-free phone service and call recording, which can be availed at an additional price.

Phone.com: Best automated attendant service for low call volumes

Phone.com is a small business owner of VoIP service which offers packages with unlimited and limited plans beginning at prices, which are as low as $9.99 for a month. It is a fantastic auto attendant system for any team looking for an affordable alternative option, especially as it carries the additional benefit of the standard with an automated attendant.

Simultaneously, the other VoIP solution only delivers specific unlimited calling plans, pushing small businesses with low callers to pay for certain services they do not require.

Phone. com pricing

• Base: For 300 minutes, you can pay $9.99 per month.
• Plus: They charge you $14.99 per month for 500 monthly minutes.
• Pro: For unlimited minutes for a month, you need to pay $29.99 per month.

This pricing rate is based annually. You can avail of the monthly plans with an additional fee.

Phone. com Features

• It comes with an automated attendant and each version of the phone. Com is available with a standard automated attendant to route all callers and greet them.
• Phone.com enables the customers to buy a specific bundle of minutes, which makes the phone. Com, a flexible option for small business owners.
• With video conferencing, you can stay in touch with the remote team for video conferencing.

8*8: Best auto attendant phone system for international calling

The 8*8 virtual receptionist is a small business inclusive of the VoIP phone systems, which offer the auto-receptionist and the unlimited calling option to approximately 50 countries around the world.

It is an incredible virtual receptionist. The leading VoIP system delivers unlimited voice calling features, which is fantastic for teams who like to stay in touch with the local crowd. But if you are dealing with clients overseas, you will be spending a lot of money on per-minute international call rates.

Thus 8*8 is the perfect solution for small business owners as well as large businesses so that it can make frequent calls to any foreign business number.

8*8 pricing

• Express: For features like domestic calling and the auto attendants for essential mobile phone, the business solution charges $12 per user for a month.
• X2: For unlimited calling to up to 14 countries, VoIP faxing, reports of calls, and caller recording charge nearly $25 for each user for a month.
• X4: They charge $45 for each user for a month to benefit up to 47 countries.

8*8 features

• There are versions of the phone service like the express version that comes with an auto-attendant. In contrast, the X2 and X4 packages are available with multiple auto attendants, like in the RingCentral.
• 8*8 delivers you with unlimited international calling for up to 47 various countries, depending on the package that you require.
• The premium versions deliver you with the system that includes all the call reports and the caller recording, which are appropriate for the call center surroundings.

Bottom Line

These virtual receptionists and auto attendants are essential for today’s leading phone systems. They are quite popular as they can be easily set up and enable the companies to greet and route callers, saving the employees from the stress of picking the business number phone system every time it rings. In most VoIP and virtual receptionists, this auto-attendant is the most commonly used system these days.

Nextiva tops the list of the auto-attendant system’s popular recommendations for calls to route callers as it is powerful and can be easily used, and comes along with a good range of prices. Nextiva is also inclusive of the auto-attendant professionally recorded voice, which will help the small business sound all the more professional when receiving calls from the customers. This is amongst the most popular phone companies that offer their customer service in the market, and all of the popularity is for a good reason.